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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23004331">Gemstones and Metal</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/CooperK/pseuds/CooperK'>CooperK</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Steven Universe (Cartoon), Transformers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Brief Depictions of Violence, Character studies, Friendship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 09:22:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,081</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23004331</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/CooperK/pseuds/CooperK</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Cybertronians have exposed themselves, and their war, to earth. While the Autobots try to keep a low profile, they’ve taken a liking to a tourist town called Beach City. And much like gems, they have more in common with humans than they’d care to admit.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Raining in my Spark</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>The start of a mini series of crossover oneshots. Not sure how often I’ll update, but I’ve been thinking on this little writing project for awhile. This first story takes place somewhere between the movie and Future, if you were wondering that. One more note, this doesn’t take place in any particular Transformers continuity. It borrows elements from everywhere, so don’t worry too much if you haven’t seen any TF media.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“The sun is out, the sky is blue. There’s not a cloud to spoil the view- Few things can compare to the natural beauty of a sandy beach.” Bumblebee said, flipping through recordings of a song by Buddy Holly and a nature documentary. It still impressed Steven that the yellow robot could change recordings on a dime.</p><p>     “Yeah, the weather’s perfect for a walk today.” Steven said. As he and Bumblebee walked along near the shoreline, the sand crunching under their feet, Steven thought back on things. He thought back on fun games and dangerous battles he had with his friends and family. He thought back on how Homeworld changed and how Little Homeworld thrived. He also thought back on how cybertronians were introduced into his life.</p><p>     About three months ago, two jets were seen dogfighting over Beach City. A prominently green F-15 fighter jet was trying to shoot down a maroon colored A-10 thunderbolt. Before any gem or human could make any sense of it, the crimson plane was shot down and crashed into the beach. As the green jet flew away, gems approached the crash site while any and all humans remained at a safe distance. A group of quartzes approached the crash site when the crashed jet began to rapidly change shape. The maroon jet, later revealed to be an Autobot named Powerglide, turned out to be an alien robot. Powerglide was panicked by the growing crowd and seemingly embarrassed that he was shot down. It wasn’t long until more of his friends showed up and told the residents of Beach City about who they were and why they were on Earth.</p><p>     They’re home planet was named Cybertron. Four million years ago, due to a combination of dwindling resources and a corrupted government, the metal world fell into a civil war that still rages on to this day. The decepticons believed that peace could only be achieved through tyranny and that organic lifeforms were inferior. The autobots believed in equality and that freedom should be the right of all sentient beings. The perpetual conflict drained the planet dry of energon, the very fuel and ammunition of the cybertronians, and both sides left to continue their fight elsewhere. The war would eventually find its way to Earth, where it was discovered to have energon crystals growing naturally in remote areas of the world. They tried to keep their war secret from earth, but incidents like what happened with Powerglide were getting more common. It was decided that the Autobots announce their presence on earth, explain why they were on earth, and make a formal alliance with humanity.</p><p>     A good number of autobots took a liking to Beach City, and even felt comfortable being in robot mode since the tourist town was already familiar with alien life. Some were very intrigued by earth culture, like the meek nature lover Hound or the upbeat and outgoing music enthusiast Jazz. Others with a slight fear of organic life were more interested in the gems, like the strait-laced and by the books commander Ultra Magnus or the knowledge seeking super genius Perceptor. Ultra Magnus in particular was extremely helpful with negotiating cross species relationships with gems and Autobots, promising protection from the decepticons if they attacked gem occupied worlds in exchange for supply routes and weapons technology. Steven thought that he should write him a thank you card for him when he got the chance.</p><p>     One autobot that Steven was grateful to meet was Bumblebee. On of the smaller autobots in their ranks, Bumblebee was surprisingly youthful and eager to help whenever he could. He volunteered to help teach gems about cybertronians at Little Homeworld and was equally ready to learn about humanity. He was just a joy to be around, and Steven was always glad to make a new friend.</p><p>     “I heard that Powerglide got himself a girlfriend. You know anything about that, Bee?” Steven asked.</p><p>     “Chairman of Hybrid Technologies, Astoria Carlton Ritz- was kidnapped by the Decepticons- Powerglide and- I managed to rescue this damsel- those two, like, totally hit it off!” Bumblebee said.</p><p>     “Good for him! I heard he can be a blowhard, but I’m glad he found someone who likes him back. I’m kind of surprised it was just you two.”</p><p>     “No, I’m not that tall. No, I’m not that smart. But- I can still kick in some decepticon tailpipes!” Bumblebee threw some punches at the air in front of him. Steven chuckled, but talking with Bee brought up a potentially touchy question that was on his mind.</p><p>     “Hey, do you mind if I ask you something personal?” Steven asked, stopping in his tracks. Bumblebee stopped as well, crouching down so he could be closer to eye level.</p><p>     “You can ask this ol’ cowpoke anything, partner- What’s on your mind?”</p><p>     “Hound told me you had your voice box destroyed, but he never said how. If you don’t wanna bring it up, if it’s too painful to think about, that’s fine! I was just wondering what actually happened.”</p><p>     Bumblebee looked surprised. He thought for a minute to think, his expression changing from consideration to stoic. Eventually, he spoke again. “Do you know the- autobot telecommunication speech. It’s- Much easier to talk with.”</p><p>     Steven nodded. It was sort of like an autobot Morse code. They created it so decepticons wouldn’t get information if they tapped into communications. It became obsolete once they cracked the code, but it still had it’s uses. Steven took the time to learn it, since Bumblebee was such a repeating visitor to Little Homeworld, and he figured it might come up. Bumblebee took time to compose himself and began to speak in electronic beeps and buzzes.</p><p>     “It was near the end of the war on Cybertron, give or take a few thousand years.” Bumblebee said. “The decepticons were laying siege on Iacon City, the last bit of autobot controlled territory on the planet. I was ordered to help ambush a decepticon supply convoy for energon. It was supposed to be a simple hit and run, but it turned out to be a trap.” Bumblebee pauses, his face growing sullen. “The ‘cons… The ‘cons scrapped everyone but me, thought that the smallest autobot would be the easiest to break. They wanted information from me; supply house locations, access codes, comm channels, etcetera. They brought out blades, they used fire that nearly bubbled my paint, but I didn’t say anything. Nearly an hour passes when their boss, some big seeker, says that an autobot rescue team would show up soon. He threatened to take me offline, and I told him that I’d never talk. And then…” Bumblebee stops again, lightly grasping his neck. “Then he makes some sick joke and… he ripped out my voice box and left me for dead. Everything’s a blur after that. The rescue team found me and rushed me to the nearest autobot outpost. A field medic, a good friend named Ratchet, stabilized my condition before it could get any worse.”</p><p>     Steven looked at Bumblebee with great condolence. From his can-do attitude and the more eccentric personalities of the other autobots, it was easy to forget how serious this war was. Steven heard a few things about decepticon brutality but seeing the look on Bee’s face as he recounted the tale was almost too much for him. “I’m… I’m really sorry you had to go through all that. But I’m glad that you felt comfortable enough with me to… well, you know.” He rubbed the back of his head, feeling somewhat guilty he made Bee remember something so horrible.</p><p>     Bumblebee gave a small smile and said “Aw, don’t apologize for something you didn’t do! It’s all in the past now. Besides, it’s actually nice to talk to people about it. Kinda like slowly buffing out as scratch.” He rose up from his crouched position and continued their walk.  “Tell you what, next time I’m in town, you can vent your own traumatic war stories to me.”</p><p>     Steven blinked for a moment, his mind thinking back to a bright room. He thought back to his family losing their color and free will. He thought back to elongated fingernails plucking his gemstone out of his body. The brief sting, the brief state of unconsciousness, the cold sweat and complete pain when woke up. He looked down, his hand hovering over his stomach, before looking up with a weak smile.</p><p>     “Thanks, but I think I’m good.”  He began to jog so he could catch up to the yellow bot.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. This file needs an update</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ultra Magnus gets an unexpected visitor, just when he needs some advice.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Name: Cosmos <br/>Occupation: Autobot scout. Specialized in deep space and orbital recon. Previous occupation in orbital security/clean up on cybertron.<br/>Other notes: Suffers bouts of loneliness due to extended isolation during assignments. Has a record of disregarding scout protocol out of boredom. Previous engagement/romantic interest in decepticon Blast Off. </p>
<p>“Cosmos, are you absolutely certain you couldn’t find any trace of decepticon activity?” Ultra Magnus asked. The towering blue autobot looked down at the green scout with scrutiny. He didn’t doubt Cosmos’s capabilities as a scout, but he must’ve overlooked something. The decepticons were infamous for lying low just before they’d reveal their latest weapon of mass destruction. The most they could find of decepticon operations on earth were a handful of energon mines.</p>
<p>“How many times are we going to have this argument?!” Cosmos exclaimed, showing his frustration. “I’m not saying the ‘cons aren’t on earth anymore, but they’re definitely not doing anything with the planet’s satellites” </p>
<p>“That tone is unnecessary, not to mention inappropriate for your commanding officer.” Ultra Magnus said, adding more authority to his voice. “The decepticons could be planning something big, we cannot afford to miss a single detail. Which is why I’m giving you a new assignment.”</p>
<p> Cosmos sighed and shook his head. “What is it now, sir?”</p>
<p>“You will lead a reconnaissance team to this planet’s moon. Once there, you will search for any decepticon outposts or anything out of the ordinary.” </p>
<p>“Are you serious!?!” Cosmos’s frustration quickly changing into anger, cracking Magnus’s stern look. Cosmos wasn’t known for such aggression, and surprise silently but quickly turned to guilt as the green scout preceded to rant. “I’ve been working my tailpipe off, mission after mission all on my own, and now you want me to do recon on an entire moon?! Even with a fully stocked team hopped up on red energon, it’d take a whole week at of searching at least! I just- I’m so- You know what, fine!” Cosmos began to storm off to the door. “I’ll do it! Get the stupid team ready and have them meet me in the hanger tomorrow morning!” The automated door almost closed as fast as it opened.</p>
<p>The bridge of the Ark was uncomfortably quiet, with only the faint sounds of clicking computer consoles and murmuring crew members breaking the silence. Ultra Magnus usually welcomed a quiet bridge, no pointless chatter or slacking off to worry about. But Cosmos’s outburst recalled a terrible truth. This was always in the back of his mind whenever he took command, and it always sprang to the front when something like this happened. “I’ll be in my quarters. If anyone needs me, contact me through radio first.” Magnus excused himself from the bridge and proceeded to walk through the ship to his room. The Ark was a fine ship, a golden vanguard-class exploration vessel modified for combat. Ultra Magnus should’ve felt comfort in being its current captain, but the colossal autobot only felt inadequate while walking the halls. He encountered a few other autobots along the way, his heads up display in his helmet showing Magus their files as he passed them by.</p>
<p>“Oh great, here comes Ultra Magnus. Blam, better hide the fun.” </p>
<p>Name: Warpath <br/>Occupation: Autobot soldier. Previous occupation in the Iacon wrestling circuit.<br/>Other notes: Excels at close range combat and full-frontal assaults. While loud and disrespectful towards superior officers, he surprisingly follows autobot military protocol to the letter. Regularly cleans his weapons, especially his chest cannon.</p>
<p>“Don’t be rude, Warpath! He might be strict, but he’s still a good bot.”</p>
<p>Name: Moonracer<br/>Occupation: Autobot sniper. No previous occupation before the war for cybertron. (See list of last cybertronians to emerge from the well of all sparks.)<br/>Other notes: Perfect training scores when handling a rifle. Despite her desire to be “hardcore”, she never attempts to alter her bubbly and chipper personality. Strong desire to be a racer, spends all shore leave time on Velocitron. </p>
<p>	“Hey there, Magnus! I took the liberty of cleaning your hammer and your RT-15 blaster rifle. You should expect a twenty percent increase in accuracy.”</p>
<p>Name: Crosshairs<br/>Occupation: Autobot weapons supervisor. Previous occupation as lab assistant for Brainstorm.<br/>Other notes: Meticulous and carful when cleaning and maintaining weaponry. He will often refuse to fire his own weapon unless he's certain it won't miss, making him a liability on the battlefield. Regularly checks up on battle master minicons, showing concern for their health more than other autobots.</p>
<p>	After what felt like an eternity, Ultra Magnus reached his room. It was virtually identical to all the other personal quarters of the arc, a desk with a computer and recharging slab for sleeping, albeit with a few personal touches. On the wall hung Magnus’s personal hammer and blaster, and the desk was neatly dusted. The room almost looked sterile; any trace of dirt efficiently cleaned away. On the opposite wall of his weapons was a mirror. When he caught a glimpse of his reflection, Magnus saw one last file pop up.</p>
<p>Name: Dion Magnum (Has taken the name Ultra Magnus)<br/>Occupation: Autobot lieutenant. Previous occupations as the Ultra Magnus commander of autobot police force and commander of the wreckers.<br/>Other Notes: Spark brother of Optimus Prime. In the absence of Optimus, Ultra Magnus has become temporary captain of the ark. If left in this position for too long, as evidenced by his previous commanding roles, his by the books command style could cause a catastrophic blow to soldier morale. Every other autobot has sited him as an officious control freak that shouldn’t be in charge. He is a remarkable soldier, but he shouldn’t be anything more. </p>
<p>	Ultra Magnus sighed, a long and drown out sound of repentance, as he began to remove his armored suit. Piece after piece removed to reveal a predominantly white robot underneath. Magnus usually saw the armor as a second skin, and he normally treated his things with the utmost care, but he discarded the pieces on the ground with little care. Once he was done, he sat down at his computer and began to write down the daily report. It was uncharacteristically slow, his mind going back to Cosmos and every other autobot that he pushed too hard. Optimus made a mistake putting him in charge of autobot occupations of earth. It should’ve been someone else. He should request someone else on board the ark to take the position.</p>
<p>	Before he could think of a good replacement, Ultra Magnus heard the door open. “Thank you for showing me the way, Crosshairs! I’ll tell you the rest of my sword cleaning methods after my talk with Magnus!” He recognized that voice. It was one of the teachers at Little Homeworld, that little town on earth populated with gems. The bot only talked with them once or twice, but he recognized the voice as Pearl. </p>
<p>“It’s wonderful to formally meet you, Ultra Magnus. I hope I’m not interrupting any…”  Pearl began walking in, quickly becoming confused and alarmed at the hauntingly familiar looking armor pieces around her. Before she could consider running out and calling for help, terrified that the autobot commander might’ve been attacked, she caught eye of the white robot who turned in his chair to face her. She looked back to the blue armor around her and then back to Magnus. “Ultra Magnus? Are you- Is all this just armor?!”</p>
<p>Ultra Magnus was prepared for this situation, but it didn’t make it any less strange. So many cybertronians were already familiar with his past, it was easy to forget not every ally of the autobots knew. Quickly clearing his throat, he said “Yes, that’s my armor. To keep explanations brief, the suit served a different purpose before the war for Cybertron. I apologize for alarming you; I usually store it away but… the day has been long. Before you ask, the reason I look like Optimus Prime is because we’re…” Ultra Magnus paused just for a moment, trying to find the word he was looking for. “I believe the human term is brothers.”</p>
<p>Pearl, much to Ultra Magnus’s surprise, was fast to accept this. She clapped her hands together and said “Fascinating! That armor seemed so life like. You’ll have to tell me how it works another time.” With surprising speed, Pearl leaped from discarded suit pieces to Magnus’s desk. “Right now, I have gift from Steven!” With a quick motion and a light glow, she pulled a small card out of her gemstone. She opened it to reveal Steven’s handwriting, thanking Magnus for his work on gem/cybertronian relations. A few grammar errors, but Magnus chose to ignore it out of respect.</p>
<p>“I thank you for bringing me this, but you didn’t need to come here yourself.” He said. “There’s certainly enough autobots going in and out of Beach City that could’ve taken this for you.”</p>
<p>“I know, but I wanted to see the Ark for myself. It’s an amazing ship with an even better crew. Everyone here is just wonderful!”</p>
<p>Ultra Magnus nodded, turned back to his computer monitor and got back to his report. “Yes, well, they’ll be getting a better captain soon.”</p>
<p>Pearl tilted her head quizzically. “What do you mean, are you needed elsewhere?”</p>
<p>Ultra Magnus kept typing, his gaze not moving to Pearl. “No, nothing like that. The crew would just perform more effectively if they had a different commander”</p>
<p>“Nonsense! I’ve talked to every other autobot that came to town. Half of them think you’re a great captain!”</p>
<p>“And the other Half?</p>
<p>Pearl bit her lip and gave a painfully forced laugh. “Well they- I mean some are a bit frank. I wouldn’t take their words too- They probably just exaggerate, that’s all!”</p>
<p>“They don’t.”</p>
<p>Pearl felt a bit of sympathy for the bot. Some of the words that autobots had for Ultra Magnus were harsh, and all too like the words Amethyst used to say about her. She stepped up to Magnus and said, “In my experience, lightening up and talking things out can work wonders.”</p>
<p>Ultra Magnus sighed and looked towards Pearl. “I know I should, it’s just… You haven’t seen the decepticons rip apart worlds for their own selfish gain. Protocol takes precedent over emotions; we need to be at our best if we ever hope to stop them. At least… that’s what I think.” </p>
<p>“Hm, I see your point. It’s been a few thousand years since I fought in a war, but maybe you could try a constant rotation on who does what. That way you could give your experts a break and your other soldiers more experience.”</p>
<p>“But these are delicate operations we’re talking about. Sending in soldiers that aren’t properly equipped could jeopardize the mission.”</p>
<p>Pearl simply shrugged and said, “Sometimes, you just need to have faith.” Pearl jumped off the desk and headed towards the door. “I need to get going, I have a volleyball game to coach. It was great talking to you!”</p>
<p>“You were pleasant to talk to as well, Pearl.” Ultra Magnus said as Pearl walked out of her room. The thin gem gave Magnus a lot to think about. After spending several minutes deep in thought, he activated his radio. “Cosmos, are you reading me.”</p>
<p>“Yes sir, I’m reading you.” Cosmos said, sounding tired with a hint of regret in his voice. </p>
<p>“I’ve changed my mind; you don’t need to lead the mission to Earth’s moon.”</p>
<p>“Really?! Wow, thanks Magnus!”</p>
<p>“There’s one more thing. Would you… like to join me in the ship’s bar later tonight? We could talk, have a few drinks, really just… relax and such.”</p>
<p>There were a few seconds of static until Cosmos responded. “Uh... Sure. That sounds kind of nice, Magnus. See you there!”</p>
<p>Ultra Magnus was relieved. Social interactions were far from his strong suit, but that went better than expected. He returned once more to his daily report and finished it. After he was done, Magnus looked at the clock and was surprised to find he still had plenty of time before his arrangement with Cosmos. He thought about how to pass the time, and then he realized he neglected to write downs files on the autobot’s allies on Earth. Luckily, he knew just where to start. </p>
<p>Name: Pearl <br/>Occupation: Human technology teacher at Little Homeworld. Previous occupation as second in command of the Crystal Gems. <br/>Other Notes: Supposed gifted fighter with a sword and spear. (Need visual confirmation) Most autobots tend to take a liking to here, citing her as jovial if somewhat neurotic. Gives spectacular advice.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Ultra Magnus is one of my favorite transformers, so I hope I did the character justice. I combined a lot of different elements from different incarnations for this take on the autobot commander. And I couldn't think of a better character for him to talk with than Pearl! Originally very controlling, I thought she'd be perfect to give the big bot some advice. Thanks for reading and please leave a comment to let me know what you think!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Crash like a comet</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Rodimus Prime feels down after a failed mission. Hopefully Garnet can lift his mood.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>All Garnet needed was one look at Rodimus Prime to tell that he wasn’t one for subtlety. Blazing orange flames on a bright crimson paint job, the expensive looking vehicle mode, even the way he presented himself gave a larger than life stature. The residents of Little Homeworld couldn’t help but be amazed by the autobot as he told his war stories. While his prideful boasting bordered too close to arrogance for Garnet’s taste, she could tell he was still a kind person. He always spoke highly of his friends and comrades, and recounted entertaining tales from on and off the battlefield with equal enthusiasm.</p><p>But Rodimus seemed unusually quiet today. He gave a smile and said his greetings when passing by, but it almost felt slightly forced. Garnet wouldn’t say she was close friends with the autobots, her time as a teacher didn’t leave much room to make new friends, but she could tell something was wrong. </p><p>Garnet found him lightly leaning against the center building of Little Homeworld, looking surprisingly deep in thought. “Rodimus, can we talk?”</p><p>His head turned quickly to Garnet, the fusion catching the bot off guard. He quickly composed himself and smirked. “Sure! It’s Garnet, right? Pleasure to see ya.”</p><p>“You’ve been awfully quiet today. Is there something wrong?” </p><p>“Yeah, I’m alright. It’s just…” Rodimus sighed, dropping his characteristic confidence. “The last mission got a little funky.”</p><p>“Disco funky or smelly funky?”</p><p>Rodimus looked puzzled by what Garnet said, but brushed it off as earth sayings and continued. “Ultra Magnus assigned me to do a recon job on the moon. Go in, look for decepticons, report back if you find anything.” </p><p>“So what went wrong?”</p><p>“Well, on day two of scouting we found an outpost. Looked like it was just for storing energon. I was about to call it in,  but these con goons ambushed us! Part of me wanted to take the outpost head on, but there was way too many of them! My squad managed to escape with just a few dinks, but the cons made it out with all the energon.”</p><p>Garnet nodded. She knew how important energon was to cybertronians, autobots and decepticons alike. “Sometimes we fail the mission. There’s no need to be down on yourself.”</p><p>Rodimus looked down, the glum look still on his face. “I know, I know. Keep trying, it’s not my fault, etcetera. But… the thing is…” He looked back at Garnet, bending down on one knee. “Okay, so Bumblebee taught Little Homeworld about the Matrix of Leadership, right?”</p><p>Garnet nodded once more. It was an ancient artifact that held the collective wisdom and knowledge of great leaders known as the thirteen primes. If the Matrix deemed you worthy, it transformed you into an honorary prime. </p><p>“Right, so you know Optimus holds the Matrix in his chest. When It looked like he was about to be captured or put offline, he’d hand it to someone else so the decepticons don’t get it. That’s how this handsome bot became a prime!” Rodimus pointed to himself, smiling for a brief moment. “When you get the Matrix, and it deems you worthy, it’s incredible! I mean, after the internalized burning that feels like your spark chamber’s on fire. You move faster, you hit harder, you think better, it’s the total package!”</p><p>Garnet raised an eyebrow, this didn’t seem like it was connected to the failed mission at all. “So, you wish you had the Matrix instead of Optimus?”</p><p>“Oh sweet Primus, no!!!” Rodimus seemed genuinely shocked at the idea, which greatly surprised Garnet. He wasn’t an egomaniac, but he certainly wasn’t the most humble alien robot she met. “Optimus is a great leader, I wouldn’t trade him for the universe. It’s just… I guess I wish I could just borrow it sometimes. I mean, when the mission is successful, it’s great. But when I fail, I crash and slagging burn. Sometimes I wonder why the Matrix even chose me.” </p><p>Garnet couldn’t help but smirk. The fusion crossed her arms and shook her head. “Rodimus, I have the ability to see into the future. When I was left in charge of the crystal gems, I thought I could just rely on my future vision to be a great leader. But there are countless branching possibilities, many of which are unpredictable. Despite my best efforts, I still failed.” She walked up to Rodimus and removed her shades, revealing an empathetic look in her three eyes. “A great gift isn’t going to solve every problem. The best thing you can do now is learn from your mistakes and move on.” </p><p>Rodimus Prime smiled again. This smile wasn’t one of arrogance from boasting that Garnet was familiar with, but a genuine little smile of learning something valuable. “Ya’ know, the big O said something like that to me too. Between you and me, it’s that accent as smooth as freshly processed energon that makes your pep talk a little bit better.” In a matter of seconds, his body quickly shifted parts and gears until he transformed in his vehicle mode. “How ‘bout I treat you to a ride? I’ve been itching to put this earth car to full speed.” He said while opening the door and giving his engine a roar. </p><p>“I’d be delighted.” Garnet said, flashing her shades back on with a wave of her hand.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Garnet and Rodimus, two characters who both had the mantle of leadership thrust upon them with two drastically different personalities. I’m admittedly not super proud of this one, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. Comments are always appreciated!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Stings like a Cliffjumper</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sometimes when you’re frustrated, you just need a good laugh.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The beach was tranquil. With a clear sky and a calm ocean, it had the makings of a great day. It would, if it weren’t for the dark red cybertronian pacing back and forth in frustration. The young autobot was kicking up sand and cursing to himself. Whenever a human or gem would get close, he’d give them the stink eye to scare them off. It worked for most people that would come near him, but his small size didn’t make him the most intimidating looking autobot around. It was only a matter of time before someone brave enough, and foolish enough, would approach out of curiosity. <br/>“It’s Cliffjumper, right?” Amethyst said. He turned to see the small purple gem with a hand on her hip. Cliffjumper rolled his optics and continued to pace. What he needed right now was alone time, not some purple rock who ate every other object in sight. “Not in the mood, gem. Go annoy some other bot.” <br/>“Some of those other bots were asking about you in Little Homeworld, actually.” Amethyst said. “They said you stormed off after getting mad at a dude named Seaspray.” <br/>He could feel his circuits start to heat up with anger. Just thinking about what Seaspray said made him want to find a way to drown that ocean obsessed scrud. “You sure they weren’t asking about Bumblebee?” Cliffjumper said through gritted teeth.<br/>Amethyst cocked her head in confusion. “Uh, no dude. What does Bumblebee have to do with- “She stopped. The overcooked quartz got a quizzical look on her face, her eyes squinted as she looked over Cliffjumper. After a good few seconds, her eyes lit up with a realization. “Holy cow Cliff, you look exactly like Bumblebee!”<br/>This reaction brought up confused emotions in Cliffjumper. There were three things the young autobot hated; decepticons, autobot traitors, and anyone who confused him for Bumblebee.  They might’ve shared a similar body type, but they still had two distinctively different paint jobs. For someone to not even notice was a rare event. “You… You really didn’t notice until now?”<br/>Amethyst gave an embarrassed smile and rubbed the back of her head. “I mean, you don’t really visited here often. So, what gives? Why ya stomping around all mad and stuff?”<br/>Cliffjumper just groaned and said “Seaspray mistook me for Bumblebee and, I scrap you not, asked why I changed my color. Like, he KNOWS I have a red paint job! We’ve battled ‘con scum together! I swear, that guy’s getting salt water in his brain module.”<br/>Amethyst laughed a bit and said “Okay, that’s pretty dumb of him to say. But hey, people make mistakes. You shouldn’t through a fit over it.”<br/>“Every other Autobot’s been making the same mistake since I was forged!”<br/>Amethyst shrugged. “Don’t know what to tell ya, man. Even the best of us make mistakes.”<br/>Cliffjumper sighed. The gem was right. They could be a royal pain in the exhaust pipe, but the autobots were still his closest friends. “You got me there, Amethyst. Even Optimus mistook me for Bee once. He would NOT stop apologizing.”<br/>“Awe man are you serious?! That truck dude was one of the nicest guys I ever met!”<br/>“You met the boss bot?” <br/>“Yeah, he visited Little Homeworld once.” Amethyst then shapeshifted her head to look like the masked leader of the autobots and brought down her voice as deep as it could go. “I am Optimus Prime. This is a wonderful school you created. Teaching these gems about the earth is a noble pursuit.”<br/>Cliffjumper couldn’t help but snicker. “Dear Primus, you nailed him to a tee.”<br/>And so, they continued to chit chat and share stories with one another. They talked about the missions they went on, the times they jumped into action without thought, and their cohorts chiding them for acting without a plan. This pleasant conversation between misfits, combined with a clear sky and a calm ocean, made for a really great day.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Definitely short, but I’m actually quite happy with this one! I hope you enjoy it, and I’d appreciate comments to let me know what you think.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Some people compare Steven to Hod Rod for the ‘Hero with a chip on their shoulder and needs to live up to the dead leader’ character type. But I honestly feel like Bumblebee is a better fit. They’re both little engines that could and always strive to be better. Also they’re babies who should not be fighting a war.<br/>Really glad I finished this before SU Future ends!<br/>EDIT: Changed the last sentence said by Steven to better reflect his denial that something’s wrong with him.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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